DXD: Table for one - Chapter 2

‘Just what the hell is going on?’, Merlin wondered as he stared at the woman behind the counter. She looked just as confused as he was, her sharp green eyes meeting his with an unreadable expression. ‘Why is a human woman here, in the Underworld?’

She definitely looked mostly human besides her unusual Hair Color. Turquoise hair tied into five tight top knots, a bold outfit that showed off her confidence—a bikini top under a black mesh shirt, and denim shorts that left little to the imagination. She didn’t even flinch when he walked in. In fact, her gaze had locked onto him the second he stepped through the door.

But something was off. She looked human… but she felt dangerous.

He could sense something from her. That aura—was it Touki?

It sure felt like it. Altough far more controlled. Calm. But it was there.

Sensing different types of energy was something Merlin had trained hard to do it was one of the few things he could practice without any specific instruction or large power reserves. As a Devil, his senses were already beyond human, but with practice, he’d learned to tell the difference between a human, a beast, or another supernatural race just by their presence. And even Energies.

This woman’s presence was strange. Human… but stronger than a normal one.

What kind of human gives off Touki that strong?

“Uh, hello? Are you okay?” the woman asked, tilting her head.

That’s when he realized he’d been staring for too long. He quickly looked down at himself—covered in bandages and patches, his body still recovering from the beating he took from that Mid-Class Demonic Beast. Not exactly the most normal way to walk into a restaurant.

“Oh! Yes, sorry,” he answered quickly, trying not to seem crazy—though that ship had probably sailed the moment he walked in like a ragged corpse. “These are nothing. Just… had a little accident. What is this place, exactly?”

He kept his voice casual. No mention of being a Devil, or getting mauled by a demonic beast. No need to share too much yet.

The woman gave him a weird look, like he’d asked a really dumb question.

“It’s a restaurant,” she said, then gestured behind her. “I’m the owner. Welcome to Menchi’s Place. I’m Menchi.”

Then she paused and squinted. “Wait… isn’t the big sign outside obvious enough? Did I mess the design up?”

‘Yeah, thanks for the obvious. I can see it’s a restaurant,’ Merlin thought with a sigh. ‘But what the hell is a place like this doing in the Underworld?’

Still, something told him not to act suspicious around her. It wasn’t just her strength. There was something else—something in his gut that said to play it cool.

He smiled awkwardly. “Right, right. I saw the sign. It’s obvious enough for me. I meant... I’ve never seen this restaurant before. Is it new?”

“Yep! You’re actually my first customer!” she said with a proud grin. “I opened today. I’ve been a little worried no one would notice the place, since it’s kind of far out and been a while since I opened up. But rent prices in the city are insane. Especially near Heaven’s Arena.”

Heaven’s Arena?

That definetly didn’t sound like any place in the Underworld.

Merlin kept his face neutral, but a quick glance out the window made his stomach drop.

The sky was blue. Blue.

There was sunlight.

And in the distance—he saw it. A tower, taller than anything he’d ever seen in the Underworld… or even Earth. Its design was completely alien, like it didn’t belong in either world.

Where was he?

“Hellooo? Did you fall asleep or something?” Menchi suddenly tapped him on the shoulder.

“No, no. Sorry. What did you say, Miss?”

She frowned, concerned. “Are you really okay?”

“I’m fine. Just zoned out for a second.”

“…If you say so,” she replied, clearly still suspicious. “So? You planning to eat here?”

“Uh, yes. A table for one, please.”

“You can sit at the window. It’s my favorite spot,” Menchi said, pointing. “I’ll bring you a menu.”

Merlin made his way over and sat down, still trying to make sense of everything. Menchi was back in seconds, handing him a laminated menu.

“Do you know what you want to drink?”

“Water, please,” Merlin answered quickly. He didn’t have much money, so better not to waste any.

As Menchi walked off to get his drink, Merlin opened the menu and flipped through it. His eyes scanned the pages—then stopped.

‘I can’t read a damn thing…’

It wasn’t just unreadable—it was written in a completely foreign script, the same as the sign outside. He couldn’t make out a single word.

Before he could even come up with a plan, Menchi returned and placed a glass of water in front of him.

“So? Ready to order?” she asked with a smile.

Still unsure of what was going on, and wanting to gather more information, Merlin played it safe. “I’ll have whatever the chef recommends. Something tasty… but not too expensive.”

Menchi raised an eyebrow. “If you’re short on cash, you should check out Heaven’s Arena. You look strong. But you know what, since you are my fist Customer, the first meal is on the House. I need to win you over so you will return.”

Her words about the Heaven’s Arena made something inside him stir—he wasn’t sure what, but it felt… significant. It made him almost miss what she muttered as she walked towards the Kitchen, altough without his Devil Senses he wouldn’t have heard her at all.

“And I need to see if that strange Nen Ability affecting me today is for real…”

He watched her return to the open kitchen and get to work. From the way she handled her ingredients, she was clearly experienced. Her movements were smooth and efficient. Definitely no amateur.

But the ingredients themselves were strange. Half of them he didn’t even recognize—not from Earth, and definitely not from the Underworld. This whole place was something else.

And then the term Nen, it sounded so unfamiliar and at the same time it was stirring something in his Mind.

Merlin had really no idea what was going on, but somehow he was no longer in the Underworld. Which could be a great boon already.

He leaned back in his chair, eyes drifting to the massive tower in the distance again.

How was he supposed to earn money there? That’s some kind of Tower… well the Arena Part implies that there is some kind of Competition.

Before Merlin could sink any deeper into his thoughts, the soft chime above the door rang again.

Someone else had entered the restaurant.

Merlin's eyes snapped toward the entrance, puzzled. He hadn’t noticed anyone approaching while looking out of the Window. In fact, now that he thought about it… no one was walking near the restaurant at all. People were unconsciously keeping their distance from the Restaurant. Just like the Devils earlier in the Underworld.

A man walked in. He looked to be in his thirties to fourties, looking fairly handsome with his Blue Eyes while wearing a Business Suit—the typical look of a Japanese salaryman.

“I didn’t know there was a restaurant here,” the man said as he looked around, his eyes eventually landing on Merlin.

Of course he would stare. Merlin was hard to ignore from a human prespective—his white hair alone was enough to stand out, especially on someone who looked so young. His wounds and bandaged body probably didn’t help either.

If the turquoise-haired Menchi hadn’t reacted strangely to his hair color, it was likely because she had her own odd appearance. But for a regular human like this guy, Merlin probably looked like a cosplayer who’d lost a fight with a truck.

Well too bad for him, but Truck-kun wasn’t part of this Reincarnation!

Still, the man seemed polite enough. He gave Merlin a respectful nod before walking over to the counter and taking a seat. He picked up one of the menus without much thought.

Meanwhile, Menchi appeared behind the counter and greeted him with the same energy as Merlin after overcoming her innital confusion. At the same time, an incredible scent drifted over to Merlin. The sizzling aroma of cooked meat filled his nose—whatever she was making smelled amazing.

“Welcome to Menchi’s Place! What can I bring you? I am Menchi by the way!”, she asked brightly.

The man glanced up from the menu with a confused look. “Uh, sorry... What language is this? Do you have a Japanese menu?”

“Japanese?” Menchi blinked. “Never heard of it. This is the worldwide standard language.”

There was a pause.

She leaned forward with a puzzled expression. “Where are you from that you can’t read it?”

Merlin narrowed his eyes. That guy was from Earth. Definitely. And he wasn’t the only one confused by the language here.

Wait a minute… If that guy was from the human world, and Merlin himself had come from the Underworld, and Menchi was clearly from some third place entirely…

Was this restaurant connected to different worlds?

Is his Human World the same as Merlins, or a different one? Menchi is obviously from a different World entirely, there is no such Language on Earth.

The man gave a slightly nervous chuckle and scratched his head. “I’m from Tokyo. Japan, you know? Like… the city right outside.” He turned and pointed toward the window. “I mean, that’s—”

He froze mid-sentence.

“What the hell!?”

Merlin sighed. “Let me guess. That’s not Tokyo?”

The man whipped his head back around, stunned. “What the hell is this place!?”

“At least I’m not the only one confused by the view,” Merlin muttered.

Menchi raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what do you mean?”

Merlin leaned back in his chair, still watching them. “I walked into a restaurant today that wasn’t there yesterday. Then I look outside and see a city I’ve never seen before—one with a tower so tall it doesn’t even seem real. I’ve never heard of it. Never seen it. Ever.”

“You’ve never heard of Heaven’s Arena?” Menchi asked, genuinely surprised.

“Nope.”

“Me neither!” the salaryman added, now recovered enough to speak.

Menchi looked back and forth between them, her expression growing more confused by the second. “How is that possi—” She suddenly cut herself off. Her eyes widened, and she quickly turned toward the kitchen. “Ah, crap! The food!”

She hurried toward the stove, calling out over her shoulder, “I’ll get your orders done first, then we can figure this out! Do you want anything in particular?”

The salaryman blinked. “Uh, how about Katsudon? It’s—”

“Deep-fried breaded pork cutlet on rice, simmered in broth with egg,” Menchi finished as she disappeared into the kitchen. “I know it. It’s a dish from Jappon! Been there. Made it before!”

“…Jappon?” Merlin repeated, raising an eyebrow.

The salaryman looked over, clearly just as baffled. “That sounds an awful lot like Japan…”

Merlin extended a hand with a small smile. “Name’s Merlin, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

The man shook his hand. “Satoru Mikami. Nice to meet you too. Wait, Merlin? Like the wizard?”

“That’s where the inspiration for the name came from,” Merlin chuckled. “But no, I’m not that Merlin.”

“So, what do you think is going on here?” Mikami asked, leaning in slightly.

“My guess?” Merlin replied, keeping his voice low. “This restaurant connects to different worlds.”

“Different worlds…?” Mikami echoed, eyes wide.

Before he could ask more, Menchi returned with two trays, placing a large burger in front of Merlin and a steaming bowl of katsudon in front of Mikami.

“There you go!” she said proudly. “Alright, so… about that weirdness. I guess I should’ve said something earlier.”

“You’ve noticed things too?” Mikami asked, already impressed by the smell of his food.

“Totally,” Menchi replied, hands on her hips. “First off—I’m a world-famous chef, okay? And when I opened this place, I expected a crowd. But for hours, nobody showed up. Additionally when I first opened the door this morning, there was this glowing screen.”

“A screen? Like in a Video Game?” Merlin repeated.

“Yeah, like a floating message box or something. It said stuff about restaurant levels, cooking skills… even had a store I could access. It’s got hundredthousands of ingredients in it—most of which I’ve never seen or even heard of. Some of the prices are insane.”

Oh, good she had Video Games in her World.

“What kind of ingredients?” Merlin asked, now fully focused.

“The list is pretty much endless. Some I’ve hunted myself or come across in my travels. But most? Completely unknown. And I’ve spent my whole life chasing ingredients from every corner of my world.”

She leaned over the Counter, lowering her voice like she was sharing a secret. “Actually, I used a few of those ingredients just now. Your burger and your katsudon both include meat from a creature called a Hellboar—a High-Class Demonic Beast, apparently. The vegetables and buns have natural healing properties. Same with the rice and broth.”

‘Wait… Hellboar?’, Merlin’s eyes widened at the tought, ‘Those are beasts from the Underworld! They’re seriously dangerous—only elite Hunting Groups can hunt them. They’re packed with Demonic energy and perfect for training or recovery…’

He trailed off as he took a bite of the burger.

Immediately, his mouth was filled with flavor. Rich, juicy meat, perfectly cooked, with just the right amount of spice. His eyes widened.

Across from him, Mikami had already dug into his katsudon.

“This is amazing!” Mikami said, eyes sparkling. “You’re a genius, Menchi! I haven’t had food this good in my life!”

“Thanks!” Menchi grinned, clearly pleased. “I told you, I’m the real deal.”

“How much would a burger like this usually cost?” Merlin asked, genuinely curious.

Menchi tilted her head and tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm... Considering the cost of the ingredients, I’d estimate around 3,000 to 3,500 Jenny. I’ll have to calculate the exact amount later. The ingredients kind of... showed up out of nowhere.”

She gave a shrug. Understandable. It’s not like it was an everyday thing to suddenly get a cooking system dropped into your lap.

But a different concern crossed Merlin’s mind.

“Wait. Jenny? Is that your currency?” he asked, brows furrowing. “I don’t think I have any Jenny. I only carry Lilum…”

“Lilum?” Menchi repeated, confused. “Never heard of it. Is that the currency of your world, Merlin-san?”

“I guess so,” he admitted, already fishing around in his coat for his wallet.

“I’ve only got Yen,” Mikami added, reaching into his own pocket and pulling out a crumpled 1000-yen bill.

Both of them placed their currencies on the table for inspection.

“Let me see!” Menchi said quickly, taking both the Lilum and Yen notes into her hands. A second later, her eyes widened. “Oh! A new menu just popped up! The system accepts both currencies—there’s a conversion function now!”

“That’s a relief.” Mikami exhaled, sounding genuinely grateful as he carefully took back his money. “At least we’ll be able to pay for our meals.”

“What’s the exchange rate?” Merlin asked quickly.

Menchi glanced at the new system window floating just in front of her. “Hmm... Looks like they’re all roughly one-to-one.”

That was huge.

A burger made with High-Class Demonic Beast meat—for just 3,500 Lilum at most?

Merlin took another bite, and sure enough, he could feel the difference. His Demonic Power was already beginning to grow at a very slow but still noticeable rate. Normally, the effect from consuming Demonic Beast meat was subtle—something you'd feel hours later if you paid attention—but this? He could feel the boost immediately. That alone spoke volumes about the quality and power of the demonic beast the meat came from.

He was still weak, so the effects were even more pronounced. If he were a High-Class Devil, it might not even register. But for someone like him? Someone with the lowest of low Demonic Power reserves that barely grow? This kind of boost was precious. He could also feel his wounds healing faster. At this rate, he might be completely recovered by tomorrow.

As they continued eating, the three of them began to chat more casually, talking about their worlds. Merlin was careful to keep the details about his own vague. He didn’t want to mention that he was a Devil—people usually didn’t react too well to that sort of thing. And he didn’t want to risk losing access to this place.

This restaurant was an opportunity. A massive one.

Not only was the food here absurdly high quality and surprisingly affordable, but Menchi could also apparently purchase ingredients through her system. She’d mentioned that there were ingredients priced so outrageously that even the Hellboar meat used in this burger was considered cheap in comparison. That meant there had to be legendary-level ingredients in there. Who knew what else she had access to?

But that wasn’t the most important part.

This place connects to other worlds.

Merlin’s mind was already racing. That meant... he could potentially form contracts with humans from entirely different realms. It didn’t matter if they were from Menchi’s or Mikami’s worlds—Contract Magic was universal. All Devils were legally allowed to learn it. And at this point in Devilkind’s evolution, the ability didn’t even require a magic circle—it was more like an intrinsic racial trait. No idea how Ajuka Beelzebub accomplished that, but he did.

Every fulfilled contract left a mark on a Devil’s core in the form of points. The bigger and more important the contract, the more points it granted. With enough points, any Devil could rise through the ranks.

Becoming a Mid-Class Devil was Merlin’s first goal. Once he reached that level, he’d be allowed to travel to the Human World freely—no permissions or escorts required. Not even the Naberius family could block him then. Denying a Mid-Class Devil access to the Human World was forbidden. Doing so would draw unwanted attention to their territory.

But beyond that… there was the exploration.

What else was out there?

Mikami’s world was clearly some version of Earth—possibly the same as the Human World Merlin was familiar with, or a parallel one. He couldn’t tell from their short chat. But Menchi’s world? That was something else entirely.

For one, she mentioned being a Single-Star Gourmet Hunter, a profession Merlin had never even heard of. Apparently, being a hunter didn’t just mean tracking animals—it seemed to be a broad term, covering any kind of specialized search or pursuit.

They apparently were People of massive Influence and Power, amongst 100 richest People in the World, 60 of them were Hunters.

There was more to it too. Menchi had that Touki-like aura around her, something that Merlin had sensed from the beginning. But earlier, she’d muttered a term—Nen Ability—when talking about the system behind the restaurant. Maybe Nen was what they called that energy in her world. And if it was more than just physical enhancement, that implied a level of technique or versatility that Touki didn’t have.

Merlin leaned back in his chair, finishing the last bite of his burger. “So... do you think we can actually step into each other’s worlds? Or are we stuck in our own? Can we even go back home?”

For him not being able to the Underworld wasn’t neccessarily a big loss, he hadn’t much there either way. This place already had more to offer him than anything back there. Sure, he’d miss out on Devil Magic if he never went back, but if other worlds had their own forms of magic—or Nen—then that was a trade-off he could live with.

But Mikami... he was just a regular human. A good guy, sure, but if he lost his home, his life, or his money just by walking into this place… Merlin would feel bad. The man didn’t deserve that kind of fate.

“I don’t know...” Menchi admitted, her expression suddenly uncertain. She turned to glance at the front door. “We should probably test it out.”

Merlin stood up and approached the entrance. “Alright. First, I’ll try going back to my own World.”

He placed his hand on the door, closed his eyes, and thought of the Underworld. The purple skies. The red-tinged clouds. The cold stone of the Naberius lands.

He opened the door.

Sure enough, the familiar streets of the Underworld stretched out in front of him.

“It worked,” he muttered. “Okay, now let’s try something else.”

He closed the door again and focused on Menchi’s world—the blue sky, the massive tower called Heaven’s Arena.

When he opened it this time, the view had changed. The same street he saw through the window was there. The tower stood tall in the distance, just as he remembered it.

He stepped outside. The air was different. No Demonic Power in the Air.

A whole new world.

“Well, that confirms it. We can use the restaurant to enter different worlds.” Merlin nodded to himself, stepping back inside.

“Let me try!” Mikami said eagerly.

He darted toward the door, closing it, then opened it again. The bustling streets of Tokyo appeared in front of him.

“Hah, it’s back!” he grinned.

Then, he closed the door again and tried to open it a second time.

“Huh?”

He blinked.